The New American Man25 Images
Masculinity in America can be responsive to where it happens: whether it’s defined by the archetypes of a small, traditional town or redefined in cities, where it’s broken down and rebuilt in the way one chooses. The space in between these two worlds forms the focus of photographer Nico Daniels’ photo series The New American Man. Drawing influence from the hard lines of masculinity he experienced growing up in Texas, and the more fluid forms he encountered in New York City, his portraits capture men suspended between the identities they’ve inherited and the ones they’re beginning to shape for themselves.
“Through the experience of navigating boyhood in the south as a gay man, contrasted with my early adult life in New York City, I felt the need to return to sites and create work within environments that I once felt alienated from,” explains Daniels. What transpired is a series of 25 portraits, moving between his hometown in rural Texas and his college city, New York, documenting the shifting nature of manhood across contrasting American landscapes.
“Having grown up just north of Houston, Texas, and spending the last four years in New York City, I saw the way men are socialised differently in metropolitan versus rural environments,” Daniels says. “In Texas, I saw a monoculture of masculinity manifest itself amongst boys my age, alienating those who did not conform to those modes of being.” His portraits at places like the motocross track or Texas A&M University capture this rigid expectation, as men conform to a single narrative of masculinity. “While I don’t think that experience is exclusive to Texas,” he adds. “I found that a place like New York City allows for people to reinvent themselves or at least perform their identity on their own terms.”
While New York offers space for individuals to reshape their identities, the portrait subjects captured in Texas are influenced heavily by communal expectations. At Texas A&M University, where masculinity is reinforced through collective rituals like the annual bonfire construction, Daniels found that group identity was central to his subjects’ expressions of manhood. “Through my portraits, I found that masculinity was reinforced by group identity. But within that collective performance, I would pull figures away from the collective task at hand to make their portrait in hopes of capturing a more personal and introspective representation.”
Within the portraits, accessories play a significant role in expressing the identities of the men Daniels captures. Whether that’s the silhouettes of men in hard hats backdropped by the blazing fire, or the necklaces that rest on their chests and the headphones that encircle their necks. “The headwear is an outward symbol of belonging amongst many of my subjects at A&M,” explains Daniels. “A lot of the helmets I photographed in Texas were heirlooms handed down from previous generations. They represent affiliation within different teams and serve as a visual hierarchy and a rite of passage within the community.”
The idea of reinvention tied to cities and college life is a well-documented narrative. It’s the classic story of young people stepping out of their hometowns, shedding old identities, and embracing the freedom of the urban environment. This trope often suggests a complete transformation, but The New American Man complicates this narrative by addressing the tension that comes with these transitions.
While cities offer a platform for self-expression and fluidity, Daniels acknowledges that even urban spaces are not immune to the pressures of conformity. “A place like New York City allows for people to reinvent themselves or at least perform their identity on their own terms,” Daniels says. But the process of reinvention isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. His subjects, whether from Texas or New York, are caught between the identities they’ve inherited and the ones they wish to create for themselves.
Ultimately, Daniels’ project underscores that masculinity cannot be defined by set measures. As Daniels reflects, “I hope these images will serve as a starting point for conversations acknowledging that masculine identity is in a constant state of evolution. It was never my intention to draw the line between ‘good masculinity’ or ‘bad masculinity’ but rather to show through pictures that masculinity can exist on a spectrum, shaped by environment and culture.”
Visit the gallery above for a closer look.
